To quote John Lasseter, "Without Tron, there would be no Toy Story."

i like to imagine the reason why Flynn is the best written character is because he's a real person, the other characters are bland because their programs

Tron really has a singular artistic vision. Obviously the graphics are dated, but that doesn't diminish the creativity of the film's effects. You'd be hard-pressed to find more iconic and striking examples of early CGI artwork. The team was able to create a convincing representation of what a world entirely created by digital information might look like, and I think some of those digital landscapes are still stunningly beautiful today (in their own surreal way). The scene I remember most is the light sail traveling through and illuminating a digitized canyon.

I worked for Disney Parks in FL in the 90's. Here I learned about what are called "hidden Mickey's" in the park. These are basically silhouette's of Mickey Mouse and sometimes other uses of Mickey or maybe Donald throughout the park. Much to my surprise when I finally got TRON on DVD I found a hidden Mickey in the movie. Next time you watch it, look on the surface or ground during the Solar Sailer chase scene and you'll hopefully see the outline of Mickey's head in black as the craft sails by. TRON is an amazing feet of cinema and technology with an incredible cabinet video game matching the music and style of the film. So happy both were part of my childhood.

Tron was and is an incredible piece of work. Great retrospective! End of line.

I wanted to change my name to Tron when I was around 7 years old. I must have worn out the vhs copy I had growing up I watched it so much. I still absolutely love this movie!

These films will always have a soft spot in my heart. Paradoxically, they represent the optimism and hope of technology folks had back in the day. Even though the plot is perhaps the exact opposite of optimism. Now technology seems to have even more of a stranglehold over our lives, adding to worries instead of helping to reduce them. 80s movies have a certain charming naivety, even when they cover dystopian futures

The Wendy Carlos score is iconic and always takes me back to that time!

That was a marvelous time to be a kid. You had a movie like Tron and in your local arcade a brand new Tron standup. At home Tron on Intellivision and Atari. Oliver you love soundtracks you must admit this is one of the most hauntingly amazing ones of all time. Wendy Carlos is so uniquely brilliant and every bit as good as her/his work on Clockwork Orange. I had seen this soundtrack in a rare CD store and passed it up in 1989 not knowing I would never see it again in that same format.

One thing I can't stand is people saying 'it's just cgi'. Like the computer does it all for you, and it's cheating. Try it. There are great cgi programmes out there, for Free. Blender is an excellent one, capable of professional level rendering and animation, and a great user friendly system, once you get the basics. Make a basic model. Animate it. Give it Life. YOU do that, Not the computer. CGI takes as much attention to detail and animator talent as Any other type of SFX. And like any other SFX there's a spectrum of quality. Analogue SFX may be 'real' but there are as much examples of SH# model, stop motion, matte work, etc, as bad cgi.

I would say the original 1982 TRON and TRON: Legacy are two of the most underrated movies of all time. And yet they are so mysteriously iconic. If you show a random person a picture of a lightcycle, chances are that person will say its from TRON. Strange. Also, that random shot at Herbie! Ouch! Great video!

That program really tied the room together, man.

Absolutely one of my childhood fav's and always enjoy watching it. Do wish that it would be put in the national film vault. The guys at Pixar in their documentary literally talk about Tron and how they thought it was a new era of animation.

Get TRON on Blu-ray goo.gl/A9bzO2 Get the TRON Soundtrack goo.gl/NDTqN2 This review was originally published in May 2013. Over the past 4 years its had a number of copyright claims from various music labels and the most recent one denied my dispute in regards to fair use so I had to re-edit the intro and ending trailers. I also made adjustments to a number of images and clips throughout the review.

I watched this movie over and over so many times as a kid. Even on a crappy recorded VHS tape, it blew me away. Still nothing like it to this day!

The end title track is one of my favorite synth tracks ever, the 1st half in particular.

Damn shame the cartoon was cancelled. :(

6:03 I always thought that flickering black outline added to the computer-charm of the movie.

I can't pick up a Frisbee without thinking about this movie. I always have and always will *LOVE* this work of art.

Saw this at least 5 or 6 times when it came out there was nothing like it at the time ... it was truly captivating and a hint of things to come. An enormous step forward in so many ways ....

Have you ever noticed the eerily close similarities Tron has to the Wizard of Oz? If you think about it, it's almost identical.

Favorite movie of all time, I'm an effects guy and a computer programmer so the programming jokes just do it for me and the look of this movie is just amazing

A wonderful and beautifully crafted movie. Still holds up today in 2019. An untapped universe which could be a wonderful tv show with great drama and action and dialogue

Thank you for doing this review Oliver! Man this movie takes me back. I was 11 or 12 when the movie came out. It was a great time to be a kid back then, arcades were filled with kids playing video games. I remember standing in line at the arcade waiting to play the Tron game; Arcades being the original social network. After playing the Tron game, I would try my hand at attempting to play (and failing) the "Dragon's Lair" video game, man that was a hard game! Good times! Thanks again Oliver!

Tron had stunning action sequences. They show speed but also pull back to give us context of the environment. There's such great choreography and nuance of these computerized objects. Sweeping movements always reveal something, rather than moving for the sake of keeping interest, and the moments of keeping the camera still shows self control, allowing the objects in the frame to create interesting actions.

Really appreciate you doing these 80s movies. It was a very magical decade at the cinemas

I think you've misunderstood the cause of the flickering that happens in some scenes, you seem to suggest that they used different film stocks to reduce the effect of it. In reality, different batches of film stocks were the cause of the flickering. To add the neon lighting effects on the suits each frame of film was blown up to something approaching the size of an A4 sheet and then the highlighting was hand painted, this was outsourced to China at the time. Once each frame was painted it was recomposited as you described. The problem occurred with the enlargement process, they had hundreds of boxes of film to blow up the frames onto, ready for the painting process; each box contained film produced in a batch, chemically this meant each sheet would react to exposure in the same way, with a single batch of film meant to be used exclusively for each scene to maintain consistent levels of exposure. What happened, however, was that the people working on the enlargers would go and take sheets of film from whichever box they could get their hands on most easily; when recomposited this produced random frames with significantly brighter exposures. When it was realised what had been happening, they instructed the enlargers about the correct process and so it was limited to only certain scenes. To make these occasional flashes of brighter scenes less obtrusive, they added sound effects to make it seem like there are energy surges occurring: if you go back and rewatch the film you'll now notice the buzzing sounds that occur at these moments.

That two minute introduction montage of footage and music was absolutely stunning, great work

my goodness just the part of them having to animate that light cycle sequence ; it paid off

one of my favorite films from the '80s. Thank you!

Tron is one of the best films of that generation, and was massively underrated!

One of the most exciting and amazing experiences in my young life as an 8 year old was learning there was a film in an electronic world with light cycles, killer frisbee disc and a warrior hero named 'TRON'. I was born in 1973 and my mom and family had been calling me 'Tron' as early as I remember. The local arcade on the west side neighborhood in Chicago where I grew up had TRON and I'd go there every day even when I didn't have money to watch guys play TRON. I didn't get to see TRON on the big screen. It wasn't until sometime between 1983 & 1984 when I watched TRON on television. Everytime TRON came in WFLD Channel 32 here in Chicago I was right there. What made me love the film more is it the end credits. After the TRON theme is played, a guitar starts and this amazing vocalist starts singing: In the jungle I run tonight Find no peace to logical life No confusion, just wrong or right, oh yeah. Faces, numbers I recognize You don't fool me with cynical lies No problems, no compromise, oh yeah It took me years to learn it was Steve Perry and Journey performing the song 'Only Solutions'. Anytime news or positive talk about TRON or TRON Legacy comes out I get so excited and hopeful Disney will find a way to revisit THE GRID and make more TRON movies

I think it is still a great movie to this day and it does not get the appreciation that is should to be honest. Most people are to spoiled with todays CGI.

I played the Tron Maze game on the Intellivision before I saw or even knew what Tron was. Then saw some clips and didnt see the whole thing until years later. Absolutely love this film and always watch it every so often or to have on in the background. It really influenced my throughout my life and definitely helped spark my interest in computing.

New film format, Syd Mead, untested computer generated images with 6-coordinate point-by-point programmed direction... all the things it took the deep pockets of Disney to achieve. It was the right movie at the right time. That is what made it ground breaking, unique, and incredible. And inspiring - for someone like me when I saw it.

1982 was a great year for movies and this is one of my favorites. The computer scenes give me such a sweet feeling of nostalgia that I can forgive the slow pacing. I didn't know it was out on blu-ray. I'll have to get one. Thank you.

These copyright claims are getting out of hand.

The best documentary for Tron is the one that was included with the DVD release.. over an hour of documentary that goes in depth about how they made Tron come alive. :)

The fact that they filmed the entirety of Tron in 70mm really helped it translate to High Definition for sure. Love this film, it is a true gift!

Loved Tron. Still love Tron, and I've a soft spot for Tron Legacy as I took my kids to watch it in an Imax in 3D. To this day I remember how awestruck we were at the sight and sounds, like the Rectifier landing outside the arcade in the Grid. We were literally shaken by the cinema's incredible sound system reproduction of the noise! I had forgotten that Tron has TWO links to Babylon 5! Peter Jurassic, as well as Bruce Boxleitner! Though of course David Warner also appeared in a single show as a guest star.

I feel bad for Lisberger. Tron was a cutting edge film that was definitely ahead of it’s time. It just got screwed over by the absolute juggernaut that was E.T. Looking back now, Tron is the more visually exciting film, it’s just at the time we all loved that little plastic alien.

Don't forget the Intellivision games. TRON Deadly Discs, a disc arena battle. Maze-a-TRON, where you play as Flynn moving about the computer and trying to stop the MCP. Then there's Solar Sailer, which is based on the same scene. There's also the 2003 followup game TRON 2.0, which was the original sequel to the movie. It kept a lot of the aesthetics of the original, a new soundtrack by Wendy, and the son of Alan and Lora as the new protagonist. Sadly, when Legacy came out, it was retconned to an alternate universe. 2.0 also had a followup comic series.

Underrated, underappreciated, way way way ahead of its time.

Underrated Classic!

Am I the only one who thinks the TRON world graphics still look as advanced and holds up even by today's standards?

I saw it when it came out in theaters, i can watch this movie any day, never gonna get tired of it.

I remember watching this when it came out. My dad started me early on computers and video games so I generally got the idea of it, and enjoyed the heck out of "Tron". ^^

Thanks for this TRON review, Mr Harper :), full of amazing scenes and "production details"... But, uh... I'm very disappointed that you haven't even mentioned MOEBIUS/Giraud's name ! ... This great "comics/bande dessinée" artist created impressive concept arts & storyboards for this visionary movie, along with other designers, so... What about him ??!... (OK, I'm a french fan, but anyway I think that hugely talented guys like him made serious contributions in visual and stylistic aspects that make Tron unique... :))

YOU DIDN'T MENTION TRON 2.0 YOU DIDN'T MENTION THE GAME THAT'S CONSIDERED THE BEST SEQUEL TO THE FIRST MOVIE????

Tron was way ahead of it's time! I got to see this on the big screen and it was awesome!

Oliver you're the man. Thank you for this as always. I show all your docs to people I know.

Even though I was very young I love the fact I got to see it on the big screen it's truly the best way to see this. The 2nd big movie using computer for CGI, the 1st being the last Starfighter

The package of the plot, dialog, music, and visuals have always made something very deep within me stir, like a reflex. More than almost any other movie.

Tron was ahead of its time

Now on the program, Oliver Harper returns with his latest Retrospective review - Tron. Over to you, Oliver...

It's in my Top 10, not of Best Movies, but Most Enjoyable. I love everything about it, especially how it feels both very old and evry futuristic. But above all I like the novelty of the idea, the world on the other side of the computer screen. It inspired me to write the story Digipeople, about the little people you see walking in SimCity 3000, and how the world looks from their perspective.

I love all of these retrospective reviews. I've watched them all and want a new one every day. Lol Keep them coming

Very underrated film

I'm actually surprised that famously litigious Disney has allowed this to stay up so long because of the long, uninterrupted use of scenes from the DVD.

I was just thinking about Tron and shared some Tron stuff on Instagram. Good timing. 😃

It's hard to believe, but I never once saw this when I was a kid. I don't even remember watching it on The Disney Channel. It wasn't until 2002, when it came out on DVD that I finally got to see it for myself. It was definitely a product of it's time, but that's part of it's charm. Man, do I miss those old arcades!😄

No matter where you stand on Tron,The Black Hole,Buck Rogers,And other Sci-fi movies of the time..I think it’s hard to argue just how great the soundtracks were..The Golden Age of Sci-if soundtracks!

In your analysis of the actors/characters I can’t believe you missed out David Warner! His performance in this film is as important and captivating as Jeff Bridges

I saw Tron opening day with my friends as a kid. It was awesome. Later, I lost so many quarters on that arcade game. My favorite Wendy Carlos piece is still "Peter and the Wolf" with Weird Al Yankovic. END OF LINE

I loved this movie and remember getting friends together with frisbees pretending to play tron trying to take each others heads off with them lol

This movie is what it needs to be and it feels like a history lesson, basically when 3d graphics were new. I think it's a great movie

If there's no chance of another movie any time soon I'd just like to be sucked right into the world of TRON

As a kid I also felt it was a little tedious, but moreso like being trapped in an uncomfortably anxious dream state -- everything important felt unspoken, and what was spoken felt very abstract and coded (no pun intended). Those light-cycle and disc action sequences though, couldn't get enough of them. Btw your opening and closing edits summarizing the film itself actually gave me goosebumps and thinking "hey this is a pretty damn good movie!" --more exhilarating, direct and compelling than TRON actually is in its natural, feature length context! Thank you for that, it's how I _want_ to remember the film.

The music is superb. Still listen to it today!

Not to mention that both Tron and Legacy are also in the Kingdom Hearts universe as well! Making many references to both movies in their respects.

Bottom line: TRON is a classic in that it established in a way that has never been broken the pop culture idea of what a world inside the computer would look like. Given the scale of the Internet, it is a concept that has even more power now.

One of those films that i own on DVD, Blu-ray AND Laserdisc. If only there was a UHD release but since it's DIsney… we ain't gonna get it… And i'm sure they are sitting on a pristine UHD master just waiting to be released…

Programs! I saw this movie in 1983 at Cinesphere in Toronto. It was the first IMAX theater but played 70mm movies during their winter series. I really enjoyed the movie, especially watching it on a three story screen! Crazy to think they were snubbed by rhe Academies knowing what CGI would become. I think they should give them an honorary award for contribution to CGI. Sure, it seems cheesy by today's standards, but it seemed pretty high-tech at the time. I still enjoy watching it once in awhile because it takes me back to a simpler time. I'm just waiting for a Big Lebowski meets Tron movie.

Big fan of Legacy as well...it was an effects bonanza. I love the universe its in

I love Tron so much. Both movies. I have no idea why.

I was enthralled when I first saw the original Light Cycle scene -- because I knew I'd be able to accomplish being a animator, a childhood dream. The problem was, "where can I get the computing power to do it." It wasn't possible until I got my first computer (an Amiga 500) in 1991. Back then, I had to plot motion paths the same way the Tron CGI team did -- by hand. That literally means pencils and lots of graph paper to jot down six measures (X-Y-Z H-P-B) for every twenty fourth of a second. After thirty years of making my own animations I finally made one in tribute to the original Tron CGI team. It does not mimic any of the scenes (like what other artists have done). No "jet walls", no grid, no 90-degree pin point turns and not the original "game play" itself -- just lanes and bike stunts. See it on KZfaq: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/oMeDZLlhma3FfIE.html

I never got all the hate for Tron Legacy, what do some people want from a movie these days? It's ace, visually stunning, fast paced, fun and exciting, I thought it was a complete blast from start to finish. I don't go into films like Tron and Tron legacy for a deep, engaging, powerful story, I go into them for thrills, visual splendour and excitement, and in this respect, they deliver in spades. If I wanted deep storytelling and fleshed out characters, I'd go watch The Shawshank Redemption or The Green mile again.

This has always been one of my favorites

Ton Legacy still baffles me to be so underrated. The visuals are just mind blowing and the soundtrack by Daft Punk still lingers through my eardrums. A GREAT sequel with visual effects that elevates the plot. The plot (as you say) gets more and more flat at the end, but overall such an amazing sequel.

Fantastic visuals. I just wish they had a script and a story to go along with the sfx.

You can do an retrospective of Toy Story (1995) because it's the very first computer-animated feature film!

I first saw this when I was 11 or 12? (so either 1999 or 2000) and it was on TV at my grandmother's house, I only caught it from when Jeff Bridges is already in the grid, but I was completely tripping out! (especially when I heard that it was made in 1982) Really impressive how this film was made, and I loved the sequel :D

"Hmm.......can we merge with this memory?, bit"

Been a sci-fi fan all my life and i liked videogames when Tron came out, so it was one of those movies i had to see and i wasn't disappointed. Yes, it has it's short comings, but i don't like to discus them, love it to much. I all so like the sequel Tron legacy and the tv series Tron uprising all do the look of the charaters is not my thing. Apart from the movies, the game Tron 2.0 is still one of my favorite things to enjoy the World of Tron and i'm glad i am not ht only one since a couple of dedicated people have made there very onw mod in the form off killer appilication.

I remember as a kid this was the most boring movie, but as an adult now I might reconsider to recognize this, thanks to this content.👍👍

I was surprised to see you didn't mention more Tron video games on the home consoles. Intellivion and Atari 2600 "TRON: Deadly Discs," Intellivision "TRON: Maze-A-Tron", "Tron: Solar Sailer", and “The Adventures Of Tron”

i don't know, i wouldn't call the old herbie movies god awful i found them quite good as a kid, but Tron just blew me away and im so glad i saw it as it changed my life and moulded my future

"Turbo Boost" sound effect @ 15:13.

Love your reviews man keep it up I’m hooked!

Thanks for the great retrospective review of this classic and a personal favorite of mine. I don't know if you do requests, but i shure would love to see a retrospective of yours about the movie "Wargames" with Matthew Broderick. Greetings from The Netherlands.

when this movie came out in 1982 i saw it like 6 times in the movies, i love it so much i learn all dialogs by heart. it was not boring for me in the slightest.

Sunday afternoon ITV showings was where I fell in love with Tron

Love this, still love this, gonna keep on lovin' this!

I with they had included a scene where the son of Flynn had discovered an original Tron light cycle under a tarp in Flynns home either in the real world OR digital realm, and when he touched it his body became temporarily covered in the old UV texture , this would have pulled everything together and payed off the past with the future!

The visuals are stunning in this film. I actually thought it had too much story. I loved just being immersed in that world. The Wendy Carlos score, Imo, was excellent and didn't think the Daft Punk score in Legacy came anywhere close to it.

Great retrospective Mr. Harper. The only part where I would argue with you is about the story being a bit thin with underwritten characters. While I agree with the criticism superficially, I think it is taken out of context. Very few people, at the time this film was released, were familiar with computers and computers are a very dry subject matter to begin with. Add to that the fact that Disney was aiming that movie toward a relatively young audience. Accounting for those constraints, I think the plot and characters made a very decent job of bridging the gap between the rigid mechanical aspect of the world the characters dwell in and their own more emotional motivations. The mild anti-totalitarian subtext is subtle enough that it doesn't become the main theme of the movie.

finally picked this up, groundbreaking movie

There were other videos games, such as Tron Evolution for the PSP, which is a prequel to Legacy as well as the graphic novel Tron Betrayal, also a prequel but one that focuses more on the character of Kevin Flynn and the state of the Grid prior to the events of the movie’s opening scene.

Such great work in this video. My favorite movie

Maybe one day, can you do Pleasantville